Things for Which I Am Grateful
A quickly compiled list of some of the things for which I grateful that happened between August 25, 2007 and February 23, 2008
BY ARLENE HARDER, MA, MFT
When I wrote the Newsletter on February 25, 2008, I said that I would make a list of all the things I could think of and type in thirty minutes. So here goes. The ideas expressed are in no particular order of importance, except perhaps the first and last.
I give thanks for life.
I give thanks for the gardeners of the Huntington Gardens in San Marino for taking such care of the grounds that I could take my niece there for a lovely walk this week.
I give thanks for the artisans and landscape specialists who came from China to create the Garden of Flowering Fragrance at the Huntington that opened just this week, providing a gentle place to sit and experience another culture.
I give thanks for Henry E. Huntington for collecting art and for the estate to allow the public access to the grounds.
I give thanks for the artists who drew the pictures that hang in the gallery and sculpted the statues that stand in the yard.
I give thanks for the volunteers who take school children around the gardens and introduce them to art.
I give thanks for the person who knit my sweater so I could stay warm on my walk.
I give thanks for the clouds that parted so I could view the eclipse of the moon.
I give thanks for the photographer of the picture of the moon that appeared in the paper and for my brother who also took a picture of the eclipse with his new camera.
I give thanks for all the people who worked so I could strawberries, such as the people who planted them, weeded them, and picked them, as well as the person who drove the truck carrying the strawberries from the farm to the store, and to the clerk who put them on the shelf, and the clerk who sold them to me.
I give thanks for the guide at the Getty who described a painting by Titian and added to my knowledge of art.
I give thanks for the fertilizer that feeds the oranges growing on our tree in the back yard that will soon be ripe and for the fertilizer that fed the oranges I bought in the store.
I give thanks for the people who created the "Death and Taxes" poster that helped me create the Tax-and-Spend Game.
I give thanks for the people who keep Squarespace, the host of my blog, working smoothly.
I give thanks for tylenol that allowed me to walk around the Huntington and Getty museums this week.
I give thanks for flowers in the front yard and the gardener who cares for them.
I give thanks for the safari driver in Kenya and for the information he gave us about his country and the animals he found for us, and I pray for his safety.
I give thanks for employees of hotels who took such good care of us when we went in Africa, providing clean rooms, excellent food, and an introduction to another culture
I give thanks for the leader of the Samburu tribe who told us of his desire for a new life for his nomadic people.
I give thanks for the crew who kept the engine working well in the boat in which we sailed down the Nile.
I give thanks for the Nubian who entertained us with a whirling dervish dance on the boat and the Nubian who took us on a ride in his boat.
I give thanks for the lawyer in Egypt who also ran a business of applique and made a creative piece I can hang on the wall.
I give thanks for the painter of the papyrus that reminds me of the antiquities we saw.
I give thanks for the bus drivers and taxi drivers who somehow managed to get through the crowded traffic in both Egypt and Africa.
I give thanks for the artist who created the angel figurine I keep on my piano and for the friend who bought it for me.
I give thanks for the waiter at the Getty restaurant who gave us excellent service/
I give thanks for the Getty's offer of free umbrellas when it is raining.
I give thanks for the kind merchant who took us to a bazaar and introduced us to a side of Egyptian life I would not have known otherwise.
I give thanks for the many thousands of workers in ancient Egypt who carved the great pyramids and temples and for the people who today make it possible for us to visit them.
I give thanks for the man who created whimsical characters out of towels, toilet paper, and sun glasses that greeted us when we returned to our rooms in the boat at night.
I give thanks for all the servers and cooks and dish washers who made the meals on our trip so satisfying.
I give thanks for the physical therapist who is teaching me how to build my strength.
I give thanks for the weaver of the rug by the back door that allows us to wipe our feet.
I give thanks for the pilots who brought us safely to Washington and Africa and then home again.
I give thanks for airline employees who helped us find rooms when other employees had made a mistake.
I give thanks for pictures of grandchildren.
I give thanks for my children and the care they take in raising our grandchildren.
I give thanks for the many organizations that take care of the less fortunate.
I give thanks for a computer that continues to work (at least at the moment) so I can type these words.
I give thanks for siblings with whom I can visit by phone and who come to visit in person.
I give thanks for the Internet and the information I can learn so easily without leaving my home.
I give thanks for all those who inspire me.
I give thanks for Luckie Stewart who come to my house and helped me format my new book.
I give thanks for my publisher for getting the book printed.
. . . and much more.
© Copyright 2007, Arlene Harder, MA, MFT |
